Category: In The News
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A Letter from Our Executive Director on the Supreme Court’s Decision in Louisiana v. Callais: This Is Not Normal
Dear Community, What happened on Wednesday is not just another court decision. With the stroke of a pen, the Supreme Court made it harder to challenge unfair voting maps. And we need to be honest about what that means. It means communities, especially Black communities, can be divided, diluted, and pushed out of fair representation…
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Update: Michigan Attorney General Moves to Permanently Block Executive Order Targeting Mail-In Voting
On April 27, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel moved to permanently block the Executive Order targeting mail-in voting, continuing Michigan’s role in challenging the order in court. The motion argues that the order is unconstitutional and would interfere with how states run elections, including how mail-in voting is administered. WHAT THIS MEANS This legal action…
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Lansing Passes MI Democracy Resolution as HB 4765 Advances in Michigan
Local governments across Michigan continue taking action in opposition to documentary proof of citizenship requirements and in support of the state’s current election system. On Monday evening, the Lansing City Council unanimously passed a MI Democracy Resolution opposing these requirements. Community members showed up, stayed late into the evening, and made sure their voices were…
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SAVE Act Update: Senate Vote Stalls Federal Proposal
There has been a lot of conflicting information circulating about the SAVE Act, and as of now, there has been little coverage from major news sources. Based on information from the Campaign Legal Center (CLC), the U.S. Senate has stopped debate on the SAVE Act. This means the bill has effectively stalled and did not…
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What Happened in Wayne County — What’s Actually Going On
Recent national headlines have focused on a demand from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for Wayne County’s 2024 election ballots and materials. There’s an important detail that has gotten lost in some of the coverage: The DOJ requested these records from the wrong office. In Michigan, local clerks run elections and maintain election records,…
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Attacks on the Southern Poverty Law Center Reflect Broader Threats to Civil Rights
The Trump administration’s Department of Justice has indicted the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), part of a broader pattern of attacks on civil rights organizations. For more than 50 years, SPLC has documented hate and violence and taken legal action against white supremacist groups. This work has played a critical role in protecting communities across…
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Momentum Continues as Local Documentary Proof of Citizenship Resolutions Advance
Local governments continue taking action in opposition to documentary proof of citizenship requirements and in support of Michigan’s current election system. These proposals would require people to provide specific citizenship documents, such as a passport or birth certificate, in order to register to vote, creating new barriers for eligible voters. In Michigan, voters choose our…
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HB 4765 Passes Michigan House — What Comes Next and Ways to Get Involved
The Michigan House has passed HB 4765, a bill that would require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote.The bill now moves to the Michigan Senate and has not yet become law. These kinds of proposals are presented as common-sense enforcement. In practice, they could block over 700,000 Michigan citizens from registering and voting.…
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Momentum Continues as Kalamazoo County and Meridian Township Pass Resolutions
Local governments are passing resolutions opposing documentary proof of citizenship requirements and affirming support for the state’s current election system. On Tuesday, April 7, both the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners and Meridian Township adopted resolutions addressing the proposed ballot initiative that would require documentary proof of citizenship to register and vote. These actions add…
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Update: Legal Challenges Filed Against Executive Order Targeting Mail-In Voting
Since last week’s Executive Order targeting mail-in voting, multiple lawsuits have been filed in response to the order. A coalition of civil rights and voting rights organizations, including Common Cause, the League of Women Voters, the NAACP, the League of United Latin American Citizens, and Mi Familia Vota, has filed suit to block the order,…